Radioactive molybdenum (99Mo) is used to produce technetium (99mTc), which is an ingredient for a wide range of radiopharmaceuticals used in the health care industry. A continuous supply of the technetium isotope is needed for approximately 80% of all nuclear medicine procedures worldwide, including nearly 50,000 diagnostic procedures per day in the U.S. alone. The demand may continue to grow as the world's population ages.
Conventional production of molybdenum occurs in high power reactors, e.g., nuclear reactors which produce in excess of ten megawatts of thermal energy. Current regulations may allow for a limited or restricted use of the high power reactors utilizing highly-enriched uranium (HEU) for generation of isotopes such as molybdenum. However, the heightened scrutiny due to concerns over proliferation of HEU may ultimately limit or prohibit the use of this material for the production of molybdenum and other radioactive isotopes.
Countries such as the United States may find themselves in a compromised position concerning the future production of molybdenum. The sole source of molybdenum in North America is presently located in Canada, and there is growing concern that the continued availability of molybdenum from this source may end in the near future. Although there are other sources in Europe, the half life of molybdenum is sufficiently short, (2.75 days), making transportation around the world an untenable solution. Accordingly, for many countries, local production of molybdenum may be the only viable long term option.